Why is just resilience important?
There is a risk that climate change will reinforce existing inequities and widen social divides. To mitigate this risk, a justice perspective should be considered in all strategic climate adaptation work.
The importance of just resilience has been increasingly underlined in recent years. It has been raised in reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the European Environment Agency, the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Swedish Expert Council on Climate Adaptation, among others. The need to support efforts to incorporate a justice perspective into climate adaptation measures is also highlighted in the strategies of the EU and the Swedish Government.
It is against this backdrop that the Swedish National Knowledge Centre for Climate Adaptation has begun to work with integrating aspects of justice into its task of providing the best possible support to various stakeholders in Swedish society. This work is ongoing and knowledge is developing quickly.
There is considerable added value in integrating aspects of justice into climate adaptation measures and significant potential for strengthening society. Issues of participation, gender equality and the rights of indigenous people must be addressed in this work moving forward.